Pendulum-regulated clocks have been in use for hundreds of years. Such devices were first patented in 1657 by Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens. While many such devices were, or are, driven by weights, later devices may be powered by springs, or by electric motors, or by other power sources.
The vast majority of prior art pendulum-regulated clocks utilize a basic design configuration having a fixed (as in mounted on a wall or within a cabinet) movement from which hangs the regulating pendulum. The movement powers the pendulum via an escapement, and is in turn regulated by the period of the pendulum swing. Note that in the present specification, the term “movement” or “clock movement” will normally be used as the noun for operative components including mechanical gears, shafts, escapement, hands, and the like. Thus, the term “motion” may be used when a verb is proper in the usual context.
Some exceptions to the basic design configuration just illustrated do exist, such as so called “swinger clocks” wherein the clock movement is mounted on the upper portion of a single, rigid compound pendulum. Such prior art clocks, however, utilized a different manner of operation than that described herein. In a “swinger clock”, this compound pendulum serves as the regulating pendulum, the period of which is commonly adjusted by raising or lowering a weight, or bob, attached to the lower portion of the compound pendulum. A second “slave” pendulum is mounted within the movement, is powered by the movement, and provides the impulse energy to cause the compound pendulum to swing.
In 1986, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,600,315, entitled “Whole Body Swingable Clock”, Nakamura described a “swinger clock”. Nakamura addressed some of the existing problems in the art by making his clock easier to wind, to start, and to adjust when compared to some prior art “swinger clock's”. However, he did not alter the basic architecture of such clocks, and used an existing design configuration which utilized a clock movement atop a single, rigid compound pendulum that derives its motive impulse from a second pendulum within the clock movement.
The invention of this present specification is a clock configuration substantially and essentially different from the “swinger clock”, as this invention does not use a rigid compound pendulum and requires no second pendulum within the clock movement.
Another basic configuration of a pendulum-regulated time-keeping device is the common metronome, as patented by Johann Maelzel in 1816. The metronome is essentially the usual design of a rigid pendulum hanging from the movement that powers it, except that the rigid pendulum is a compound pendulum. As such, a moveable weight on the top portion of the compound pendulum affords easy adjustment of the desired beat.
In the art of building unusual clocks, the use of a pendulum-regulated movement appears to have been limited to configurations such as a pendulum hanging from the movement, or the “swing clock” as described above, or a common metronome. Consequently, provision of a unique configuration for a pendulum-regulated clock is believed to be an interesting and significant contribution to the art.
In the various figures of the drawing, like features may be illustrated with the same reference numerals, without further mention thereof. Further, the foregoing figures are merely exemplary, and may contain various elements that might be present or omitted from actual implementations of various embodiments depending upon the circumstances. An attempt has been made to draw the figures in a way that illustrates at least those elements that are significant for an understanding of the various embodiments and aspects of the developments described herein. However, various other elements for a pendulum-driven clock, especially as applied for different variations of the functional components illustrated, as well as different embodiments of artistic elements such as a shape of components or visual design of various elements, may be utilized in order to provide a useful, reliable, visually attractive and intellectually intriguing timepiece.